The effect of visual advanced driver assistance systems on a following human driver in a mixed-traffic condition

Rapid development in vehicular technology has caused more automated vehicle control to increase on the roads. Studies showed that driving in mixed traffic with an autonomous vehicle (AV) had a negative impact on the time headway (THW) of conventional vehicles (CVs) (i.e., driven by humans). To address this issue, there is a need to equip CV with visual advanced driver assistance systems (ADASs) that helps the driver maintain safe headway when driving near AVs. This study examines the perception of drivers using visual ADAS and their associated risk while driving behind the AV at constant and varying speeds. The preliminary results showed that while visual ADAS could help drivers keep the safe THW, it could affect drivers' ability to react to emergencies. This implies that visual modality alone might not be sufficient and therefore requires some other feedback or intelligent transport systems to help drivers maintain safe driving in a mixed-Traffic condition.